The human body is an exquisite masterpiece filled with incredibly complex and intricate systems. An award-winning author, Gavin Francis, successfully published Adventures in Human Being in 2015. It is a book that shares his experience as an emergency specialist, surgeon and a family physician. Dr. Gavin Francis’s book is a series of interesting stories about the way the body we all inhabit works. The author leads his readers to a journey through every part of the human body and covers different medical cases that highlights the greatest discoveries in the medical field. He even used references to art, culture and historical aspects of the organs that explores the complexity of the body and unravels life’s possibilities.
Adventures in Human
…show more content…
In every chapter, the author usually starts with a detailed introduction of the patient’s condition. Then, he speaks about the medical history, art and cultural aspects. In some chapters the author explained the word origins of some medical terms which shows that medicine is a composition of different languages. Adventures in Human Being is an important book for medicine, because the author’s descriptive anecdote explains the medical problems that people face in the actual world. The book is based on real medical facts and records that Dr. Gavin Francis encountered during his time as a doctor. Likewise, he showed how medicine has developed over the past few decades. For example, In the past people used Electroconvulsive therapy as a source of punishment, however, it is now used to treat some cases of severe depression. Lastly, the author elaborated on the achievements, limitations of modern medicine and considers the view of other societies in …show more content…
In this chapter the author explained the meaning of afterbirth which is known as the placenta and it is the last stages of childbirth. Throughout the chapter, Dr. Gavin Francis discussed different cultural and historical aspects regarding afterbirth that showed how countries have their unique customs and traditions when dealing with the placenta. For example, in Iceland, the traditional method of getting rid of the placenta was to bury it under the house in a position that allows the mother to wake up in the morning with her first steps being her child’s placenta. However, in Morocco, Java and Moravia, women eat their own placenta to increase their fertility and men in Hungary eat the burnt ashes of the placenta to reduce their fertility. In addition, the author explained in the abdomen, the significance of examining the rectum and bowels movements. Surprisingly, this organ that most people find disgusting can play an important role in identifying and knowing if the patient will have other diseases, develop cancer or body
Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard Medical School graduate and writer for The New Yorker, phenomenally illustrates the unknown side of healthcare professions in his book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science. By exploring the ethical and analytical aspects of medicine while entertaining readers with relatable anecdotes, Gawande impresses on his audience the importance of recognizing the wonders of the healthcare field, as well as the fallibility of those within it.
The Beauty of Bodysnatching written by Burch Druin is a fascinating biography of Astley Cooper, an English Surgeon, and Anatomist, who gained worldwide fame in support of his contribution to Vascular Surgery and a further area of expertise. The extract gives a reflective insight into Cooper’s contribution to study of Anatomy and medicine. Cooper enjoyed the job of body snatching, which helped him to conduct a series of discoveries that were important for the future study and understanding of Physiology. In the Romantic era, when prettiness or horror was a sensitive matter and extensive concern at that time many physicians discouraged surgery, but Cooper passionately practiced it.
In the book Complications, Atul writes about his experiences as a surgical residents and demonstrates a point of view of surgery that does not idealize it, but instead displays the actual pressure and complexity it actually is. Atul Gawande speaks to fellow surgeons, surgeons to be or simply those who believe that the study of surgery is just memorizing procedures, nonetheless it’s so much more complex due to the fact that every case that arrives is different. He is able to portray the complexity of surgery by putting his readers in heart racing situations faced by doctors, explaining step by step procedures, giving his personal stories of cases he has assisted in at the hospital as a resident. Atul Gawande appeals to his reader’s attitude
After reading the book which mentions the maternal and neonatal situation in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is pitiable. (1) Child birth takes place under lantern light, in Mud bricks with profuse sweating without electricity, no running water, no emergency backup. With only the grace of God and the skill of a midwife that child birth takes place in remote villages in the country of Mali, West Africa, having the third highest total fertility
One may notice some characteristics of the author's culture as she puts emphasis on the importance of the period of time a woman goes through during her labor and giving birth to healthy newborn and religion in crediting God.
In every culture health play an essential part of life but means to achieve that healthy being may vary from one country to another depending on their belief system. It is important that professional healthcare providers obtain a proficiency in different cultures and respect these customs as they may influence patient’s behaviors towards receiving care. Birthing is a very important stage in the life of a Vietnamese woman . the Vietnamese culture is very diverse as many of their cultural practices have been influenced by the country’s’ strategic located between china and India. The Vietnamese people religiously observe their traditions and beliefs especially in pregnancy and during and after delivery.
For countless years there has always been an urgent need for doctors. Different methods would be used to cure people from their sicknesses. However, life is given by God and it is he who can take it away. Doctors play the role of saving lives, but in the end, they are powerless because nature has to take its course leaving humanity at its limits. In Vincent Lams novel “Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures”, Lam challenges the myth that doctors are omnipotent by contending that “medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability”. Using Fitzgerald as a focal point, Lam debunks the myth that doctors are omnipotent through situations of medical failure, having a loss of power and control and by inhabiting deadly diseases. By showings his mistakes, Lam proves that Fitz is not perfect and God like.
The Power of Mistakes Atul Gawande is not only our resident surgeon; he’s also a patient himself. He’s anxious before performing surgery, he dwells on mistakes, and he has emotions: he’s human and he understands us. However, he does not appear to share concerns with his patients initially. Gawande experiences a long, drawn-out development from a young medical student to the doctor he is today. This process of identifying with patients is evident in his anthology of essays, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science.
Kahn was a writer and contribute editor of magazines for wired and national geographic. Stripped for parts appeared in wired in 2003. Kahn was awarded award in 2004 for a journalism fellowship from the American Academy of Neurology. She wrote this short essay describing how organs can be transplanted. The Stripped essay is an- eye opener. Though not many people tend to think of how a body should be maintained after death. Jennifer Kahn depicts a dramatic image for her audience. She uses the terminology “the dead man “though technically correct, the patient is brain dead, but his or her heart is still beating.
“The Doctor” presented interesting and emotional concepts accurately representing the philosophies and behaviors of many medical professionals. Perhaps its viewing would be beneficial by members of our medical community, and provide a framework to the personalization of patient care.
Taylor, J. Of sonograms and baby prams: prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy and consumption. (May 2000) Feminist Studies.
Association of Placenta Preparation Arts board member Nikole Keller says, “the placenta is often referred to as a filter; this isn’t an ideal term for the placenta considering its function in the body… A more suitable way of looking at it would be as a gate keeper between the mother and the fetus. The placenta’s job is to keep the maternal and fetal blood separate, at the same time allowing nutrients to pass to the fetus, gas exchange to occur, and allowing waste from the fetus to pass through the mother, . The placenta does prevent some toxins from passing through to the fetus but they are not stored in the placenta. Toxins in the body and waste from the fetus are processed by the mother’s liver and kidneys for elimination”
The debate concerning abortion still exists and is causing a lot of controversy. One of the biggest is an issue concerning mother’s who are experiencing health compilations during p...
Weston, M. D. Know Your Body: The Atlas of Anatomy. Berkeley, CA: Marshall Cavendish Books Limited, 2005
...ts, diseases, medical professionals, knowledge and technological artefacts. Her book is a request to experts and patients to live up to the encounters of good care.